lilies *James Potter*

Chapter 33

Remus was rushing to finish his work on Friday afternoon just as the final bell dismissed the students for the day. He was trying to catch the live show that Liliena and James would be to see the brief reactions from talk-show hosts and the audience before every social platform went nuts.

He had his school satchel around his neck and strapped on his chest as he makes way down the halls with his cane in hand tapping with every step. He only makes a few steps outside the school when he hears his name being called.

"Moony! Remus!" Remus's heart jumps a beat recognising the familiarity of the nickname that has been so long since he's been called. He hates how he reacted to the nickname before his first name.

"How'd you find me?" Remus asks slowing down just by the slightest for Sirius to catch up, he notices a helmet tucked under his arm propped against the tight ripped jeans that should be banned on him from how sinful he looked along with the leather jacket and an old band tee with his long hair pulled up in a messy bun... and is that a paintbrush in it?

"I... I may had a peek at some papers Ana and Reggie had lying around yesterday when I was there. I assumed with past knowledge of you wanting to be a teacher and the address being pointed at a school that... yeah."

"So you had a stalk out until I came outside of the building I work at?"

"Yes?"

Remus rolls his eyes as he continues to go to his car. The occasional giggles of the young school girls were released every time he dared to spare a glance at the older students. "Looks like you have some admirers."

"Admirers that I will never look at twice nor would dare to spare a single touch in risk of losing my teaching degree."

"Right..." Sirius was attempting to work things through with him. Maybe showing up to his workplace waiting for the last hour unannounced was a bit stalker. "Still driving Crappy Old Joe, huh?"

Sirius awkwardly hip bumps into the old blue car that had to peel paint on and was well-rusted. Many nights were well spent in the car between the two, lots of memories shared in secret.

"What do you want Sirius?" Remus asks unlocking the front door manually slotting the key into the hole and jiggling the handle before it pops open.

"Right to the point then..." Why couldn't Sirius pass the awkwardness? He was never like this before with him, why now!? "Uh, I came to see if you wanted to hang? Finished my latest masterpiece earlier than planned and... yeah."

Remus eyed Sirius uneasily. "I'm heading home."

"Great!" Sirius froze and internally panicked. The internal panic may have shown a bit. "No, not great- wait, I mean... We didn't have to- I, uh, I'll stop talking..."

Remus cocks an eyebrow up at Sirius as the man's cheeks turned red and glossed lips were chewed on. "Are you trying to invite yourself to my flat?"

"... would that be a bad thing?"

Remus scans over Sirius, taking in his body. His sense of style. And his heart only hammers against his chest even more painfully feeling like he was back in school with a schoolboy crush on him all over again.

No.

Remus refused to allow that to happen again. He refuses to have Sirius acknowledge the past and the accident that Remus has been blaming on him for the last 8 years. He couldn't let Sirius know. He couldn't let him take the blame and feel guilty about something that wasn't his fault.

He didn't push him in front of the car.

He ran.

He didn't bother looking either way onto a busy street.